Liam Payne praises Cheryl for being a natural mum

They're parents to their son Bear

cheryl liam payne

by Daisy McLure |
Updated on

Singers Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole may not be together, but their co-parenting is stronger than ever, three years after their split. The One Direction star, 27, recently praised his ex, saying that Cheryl, 37, thrives in her maternal role to their four-year-old son, Bear.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Liam said, “My son is four now and he needs to learn how to swim so I’ve been trying to teach him how to swim, which is tasking. I think as a dad I tend to push him quite hard sometimes. It is tough to know the right balance.”

cheryl liam payne
cheryl and liam together at the brits in 2018 ©Getty Images

Liam then acknowledged that Cheryl is a natural with Bear, adding, “His mum’s quite good at that, to be fair. His mum’s quite good at that stuff.”

In April, Liam revealed that he and ex Cheryl are “closer than ever” after calling time on their two-year romance in 2018 when Bear was just over a year old. He said, “Cheryl is literally the best person to co-parent with. No stress involved. It’s very, very relaxed, and we spend a lot of time on FaceTime. I’m closer to them than I’ve ever been before, actually, which is really, really nice.”

Check out: From Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?

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The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider

Victoria Beckham1 of 9
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Victoria Beckham

One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.

Coleen Rooney2 of 9
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Coleen Rooney

Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.

Cheryl Cole3 of 9
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Cheryl

How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.

Abbey Clancy4 of 9
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Abbey Clancy

Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?

Danielle Lloyd5 of 9
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Danielle Lloyd

Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.

Elen Rivas6 of 9
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Elen Rivas

Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.

Louise Owen7 of 9
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Louise Owen

Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.

Carly Zucker8 of 9
CREDIT: shutterstock

Carly Zucker

Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.

Alex Curran9 of 9

Alex Curran

Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.

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WATCH: Kimberly Walsh talks play dates with Cheryl and Bear | This Morning Live

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Cheryl is currently thought to be single, while Liam recently announced he had split from his fiancée Maya Henry, 20.

Liam and Payne got engaged last summer after two years of dating but the One Direction star confirmed their split, admitting, "I feel like more than anything at this point, I'm more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people.

"That annoys me. I've just not been very good at relationships," he said on Steve Barlett’s podcast Diary of a CEO.

The 27 year old added, "And I know what my pattern of things is with relationships at this point. I'm just not very good at them so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else."

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